


Best Left Forgotten

by Hand_held_monster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Death, Multi, Other, Violence, human magic, verteran!grillby, wartime undertale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:24:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5585254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hand_held_monster/pseuds/Hand_held_monster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monster and Humans had been at war for 8 years already, and neither side was gaining any ground.  As a final attempt to win the war the humans enlisted the help of the strongest they could find, human mages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dogs of War

“God, _______.  Sleeping at a time like this, we’ve got a job to do, and you won’t even do the fun part of it.”  The sound of a familiar, but unwelcome voice, startles you awake, whatever dream you were having fading from your memory.  You lift your head and turn to see your guest, Chara.  What a sight they were, leather armor and long cloak of black and dark crimson, just like their ever domineering eyes.  Speaking of eyes, Chara’s were filled with too much mirth for your liking, and a smile to match it.

“Did you not even hear the news from the King himself, he’s requested the best to fight, the war won’t last long now.”  Right, the war, that ever looming darkness that you wished you could run from, but were always dragged back to it one way or another.  You turned your gaze back to your notes, they were all of defensive and healing magics.  You never wanted to use your ‘gift’ to hurt anyone.  This war has made it your curse.

Chara grabbed your arm and forced you up, sneer on their face and growl at their lips, “Oh, just move, I wish they didn’t send me to get you, you’re worthless anyway.”  You wished those words were true, but they did not see you as worthless, so it seemed the battlefield was your new home.  Chara’s hand pushed you toward the door, barely keeping your footing as you walk to the hall.  Chara walked past you and you took it as you were meant to follow.

The library, known as the Citadel, that you lived at was the second largest structure in the kingdom, only seconded by the royal castle, well the human royal castle, the monster royal castle was also larger.  We no longer counted it, as it was said it would soon be rubble, Chara enjoyed the idea.  Well, they would probably say that with more….detail.  The large structure had an open courtyard, within its center, where a large white tree stood tall as the pride of the mages.  Pulsating colors danced along it’s ethereal bark.  It had been adopted as the symbol for practitioners of the arcane because it was the thing that chose who would be capable of the art.

Yes, you thought to yourself, a tree had picked you to be a mage, live for god knows how long, and practice the tedious art.  You didn’t remember the story behind the tree, just that it was the center of all human magic, and that’s why the Citadel had been built around it.  If the tree went down no more mages would be born, and the age of magic would end.  What a joke.

You followed Chara to a large ornate door that they quickly pushed open, revealing a large room with a table taking up the center, many individuals surrounding it.  Seven mages were already sitting in their respective chairs, and robes matching their magic around their shoulders.  Two others sat with them, Chara and yourself took your seats.

You looked around at all of your fellow guild members.  Chara was to your left and toward your right and onward was Dhriti clad in sky blue, followed by Daya in deep green, Gifford in fiery orange, Salamat in dark sea blues, Zed in calming yellow, Shihobu in strong purple, and finally the guildmaster, Tydeus, in solid black with white trimming.  You looked down at your own garbs, silvery robes with gold trim.  The unifying aspect to all of you was the broach you wore with a simplified symbol of the tree you were meant to protect.  You recognized the symbols and uniforms of the two strangers, the human general and his right hand on the battlefield.

“Ah, good to see you arrive, we can now continue.”  Your guildmaster had stood as he addressed the room, “Now, General Wernholm, you may brief us on the state of the battlefield.”

The well dressed commander gave a curt nod, “I am sure you are all well aware of the war that has been ravaging our land as well as who our enemy is.”  You felt uneasy at the situation and began to feel uncomfortable.  “We had been making progress for a long while, but about a year ago a new threat arose that has began to turn the battle for the worst.  This threat was a formerly unknown soldier, who looks to be in a high position of command, and has begun clearing out entire battalions on his own.”  You stiffened, how would you face someone who could take out so many trained soldiers alone.

Gifford spoke up within the pause, “What kind of enemy could accomplish that, are you sure your information is not wrong, even a member of this guild is unlikely to accomplish something on that level.”

The generals companion was about to speak, but his commanding officer raised a hand to silence him.  He gave a sneering smile at Gifford, “My information is not wrong, I saw this monster with my own eyes, and your little guild has no combat experience.  Whoever this creature is, is well adjusted to battle and death.”

Shihobu sang from off to the side, swaying a bit with her words, “Then what may this creature be, which you say your eyes did see.”

Wernholm gave a condescending glare at the spirited girl, “This creature is no laughing, or singing, matter.  And you had better hope he doesn’t find the Citadel, or he will raze it with little effort.”  The room quieted, though you could feel excitement emanating from Chara.

Wernholm gave a gesture to his subordinate, who then pulled out a scroll.  He unfurled it and it showed something that shocked each guild member in kind, but quickly you found yourself very curious of the sight.  It was a painting, the general shape was of a man who was clad in dark steel armor, a sword at either hip and billowing cap of dark red, far darker than Chara’s crimson.  What drew everyone's attention though was the orange and red hands and head with flames licking upwards from the individual.  A fire-kin.

The general seemed satisfied by the reaction of the room, “We have come to address this individual as ‘Hellfire’.  He knows no mercy and is able to both command a large force as well as fight alone.”  He smiled, his expression saying it all, that he didn’t think you or your guild members were worth the time.  Not worth respect.

Tydeus stood, placing his hands on the table before him, “That should be enough information, do you know where he will be next?”

Wernholm seemed taken aback, but quickly responded, “Yes, we have set up a trap, he will be within the town of Sivir later today, the hope was that you would all be in position for the attack when he arrived.”

Tydeus nodded and looked over the table, “Driti.  Salamat.  You two will be on the offensive, you know why and what to use.”  They both nodded.  “I am also aware that there are two monster villages within a close proximity of that town, correct General Wernholm.”

He sent a nod toward the guildmaster, “Yes, one to the east and the other north-northwest, but that’s not-”

Tydeus waved him away, “If we are on the battlefield, we will waste no time.  The time of a mage is important, so we will force the enemy to surrender as quickly as possible.”

Chara learned toward you with a hissing whisper, “Or until none remain.”

You hid your discomfort at their remark as the guildmaster turned back to the group, “Daya, Gifford, and Zed, you will move to the village to the east.  I trust it will not take you long to handle.  Shihobu, _______, and Chara, you will go to the north-northwest village, be quick about it though, that one is along monster controlled territory.”  You all nodded, though you felt eased further by it, you did not want to fight.  Tydeus turned back to the General, “I will be with the group on the attack to this ‘Hellfire’ individual, we want to be sure the attack works.”

Wernholm scowled, “Fine, but I want to remind you that my men are not responsible for your mages.  And with them that far away from allied forces, we will not give them aid if they find themselves under attack.”

Tydeus nodded, “Then it’s settled.  All of you prepare and collect what you will need, we leave within the hour.”

You and your fellow members stood and made your way out of the room, your eyes were trained at the floor as you walked.  You finally made it to your door, but just before you entered you heard their voice again, “You better not screw this up, if anyone will fail in their task, it’s you.”  You turned to see the crimson cap turn a corner.  You quickly closed the door behind you and tried to calm yourself.  Tried to convince yourself that you would not be a murderer.  You couldn’t.

 

___________________________________

 

“Keep up the pace, were only about a kilometer away from the camp.”  He called over the variety of monsters, many were quite tired, a full day's march was needed to reach the next checkpoint.  He heard quick footsteps over the dull march beside him and turned to see a feathered and winged monster, Sorin, who had been out scouting.

Sorin saluted, “General Grillby.  We found a human village to the west that seems heavily armed, I fear that they may be preparing an attack on the camp.”

Grillby pulled his hand to his chin, contemplating his options.  His men were tired and worn, not just from the march, put the previous day’s battle as well.  They needed rest, but he knew he was far from worn and could quickly evaluate the town.  Or remove it if need be.  “Sorin, keep everyone moving toward the camp, be sure everyone rests when they arrive.”

Sorin seemed a bit surprised, “Sir, are you planning on seeking out the village yourself?”

Grillby nodded looking over at the marching soldiers, “I can check the village and return before midnight.”  Sorin seemed to want to protest the general's decision, but the wave of a flaming hand silenced it, “If they do pose a threat, we cannot afford to leave it.”

Sorin gave a quick nod and salute before taking off and keeping an eye on the marching waves from above.  Grillby made his way off the path and into the forest, moving toward the village.  If his memory served him right then it had to be the village of Sivir, which was nothing more than a few farmers and occasional merchants.  He had a good sense for the battlefield, and his soul repeated to him over and over that this was a trap, but he couldn’t take the risk.  He had to keep his men safe and he would chance an ambush or otherwise to prevent the human forces from reaching the safety of the monster camp.  The humans did not have any real way to fight him either way, steel and iron meant nothing to him, the only real threat to him the humans had no real way to weaponize.


	2. Weight of War

You had managed to get ahead of Chara and Shihobu, though they likely knew exactly where you were.  You ran as fast as your legs could move, cap occasionally catching on the brush or trees around you.  The first group with the guildmaster was already set up on the hill just beside the town of Sivir, and were already preparing for the spells they planned on using.  You had no idea when Zed’s group would reach the east village, but you hoped that it would be empty.  That was your hope for your destination as well, that the monsters had been smart and quick enough to evacuate, that you would be met with empty houses and abandoned streets.

 

You came to a screeching halt nearly running into a set of armor.  You fell to the ground and looked up, a gilled face snarling at you.  “Human, you made the wrong choice coming here.”  He held up a trident, looking to be preparing to strike.  You quickly jumped back.  Another soldier was quickly moving toward you, calling behind him of a human attack.

 

You tried to keep your voice steady as you spoke, “Wait, wait.  I came to warn you, you need to get out of here quickly.”  You could see behind the two soldiers blocking your path, the villagers were quickly scattering away from the direction you came from, allowing you to relax a bit.  You saw a single aquatic woman looking concerned at the man before you.  Her stomach was bulged.

 

The fish man struck toward you again as his companion moved to grab you, you managed to keep away from both.  The man yelled back at the woman who was not running, “Aisha, get yourself and our child out of here.”  She hesitated for a moment longer before running, holding her stomach, the scene alone made your heart ache.

 

You jumped away from their next advances, “Please, you have to leave, you will die.”

 

It seemed they weren’t listening to you, and you misstepped, trident now moving toward your chest, “You humans started this, I will-”

 

He was thrown to the side with a flash of red, his companion quickly followed.  You looked over in horror as several red knifes came down on them both, their cries of pain tearing at your ears until silence followed and only piles of dust remained.

 

“You idiot, why didn’t you just end it.”  Chara stormed up to you forcing you to your feet with a hand grasped onto your cloak, “Only those two were here still.  You're a coward and a worthless mage.”  Their expression was filled with hatred and the air began to buzz, red mist slowly emanating from their eyes.

 

Shihobu quickly pushed the two of you away from each other, “I cannot believe my eyes, we are meant to be allies.”  Chara scoffed at her and walked into the village, kicking at the dirt.  She offered you a hand to help and you both began to move into the village.

 

It was eerie walking through the town, checking each house to find if anyone had been left behind.  You found small toys and trinkets left scattered on floorboards from the haste to get away, you were happy that they had managed to leave before your companions had arrived.  You found a letter with the ink still wet on a desk, looking closely they had only begun to write.  ‘Dear Misty, I hope you are safe on the battlefield, mother is still worried.  I know you told us to leave the town, being so close to the humans is dangerous, but this is our home, and we want you to come to your real home when thi-.’  The letter stopped there.  You felt tears threatening you and used all of your will to force it back.  You had taken people's homes from them.

 

Walking through you found a loom, where someone had begun weaving a blanket or tapestry, you couldn’t quite tell.  It was about half finished and the image it depicted was a town, figures within looked to be celebrating.  With the sky being the missing part it felt as if it had been removed, blocked from the people below.

 

“Yes.”  Chara practically screamed their proclamation, and you felt your heart drop as there were only a few things that would make them that excited.  You ran out to find the cause of the sound and froze in horror.  Chara held up a small monster child by their collar, who was kicking and crying out for help, crying for their mother, even begging to be let go.  Chara paraded around a bit, violently swaying the form in their grasp, “Seems you were worthless, they left you behind.”  The small form curled up and sobbed, it sounded like they were beginning to hyperventilate.  Chara continued in their mirthful rant, “What a pathetic whelp you are.  ‘Oh please don’t kill me’, ‘mommy, help’.”  Chara’s mocking tone was sickening to listen to.  They threw the child at the side of one of the houses, and they crashed loudly against it crumpling to a heap on the ground.

 

You twitched to move forward only to find Chara’s glare directed at you, energy wafted around them as they became more eager to continue, “Don’t you get in my way, you already fucked up enough by warning these things, don’t you dare get in my way now.”  You flinched away from them, their gaze now back toward the small form, “I’ll make this last, so you just hold on long enough for me to finish.”

 

Shihobu practically flashed into Chara’s path to the child, “We are meant to clear the town, cold blooded murder would make the master frown.”

 

Chara scowled at her drawing a misting red cutlass from the air, “I am clearing the town, and if you don’t get out of my way, you will join them.”

 

Shihobu giggled a bit, “So eager to bring death, you may find your last breath.”

 

The air was heavy as they both just stared at one and other for a long while, but eventually Chara relaxed and walked up to her, “Let me at least end their suffering, they will not survive.”  Shihobu didn’t move for a moment, but eventually nodded and stepped to the side.  You turned away as you heard quiet pleas for life and freedom, before the sound of a blade cutting organic substance was heard with a small cry.  You felt a single tear roll down your cheek as you tried to stay calm.

 

You were forced around by a hand on your shoulder, and were met again with your least favorite pair of eyes.  “You’re crying?  You're pathetic, this is our job, we are going to rid the world of these freaks.”  They pushed you back a bit, “But if you're going to keep getting in my way then I can get rid of you.”

 

You emotions were in control and your brain was already fried from the events of the past hour.  You quickly turned and ran, fearful that Chara, that demon, would take up their words toward you.  Shihobu’s cries for you to stop didn’t even convince you to slow, you wanted to get far from there, and the only way you would manage it was to keep moving.

 

_______________________

 

Grillby had taken his time moving toward the village, constantly checking the horizon for any movement, and spotting nothing out of the ordinary.  After scanning the village from a distance he had seen nothing at all, no movement or signs of life, it was no different when he came closer.  He found that some weapons and equipment had been left out in the open, though to the trained eye it was placed haphazardly, as if to grab attention and nothing else.

 

He took one of the swords from a table and removed it from it’s scabbard, taking a closer look at the edges and design.  This was a human blade, that was easy to notice, but it was old, at least 70 years, and the blade itself was dulled with signs of rust and misuse.  Grillby threw the blade to the ground and placed a hand on the hilt of his own, defensive stance and he listened for any movement.  He was only met with silence.

 

He allowed himself to relax a bit as he continued to scan the village, and the story never changed.  This place had clearly been abandoned for sometime.  He went to check within the homes and became unsettled.  There was no furniture or personal items within any of the buildings or rooms.  The houses were not evacuated, they were moved away from.  He knew he had to leave now.

 

As he left the building he had been in, he realized that the sky was far dimmer than when he had arrived.  Looking up there was a heavy overcast of dark clouds, they looked as if to be ready to swallow the entire sky.  Grillby tried to comprehend what he saw, the sky had been clear, how could a storm have blown in within a matter of minutes.

 

When the answer hit him he scowled at his own ignorance to the situation.  They had heard rumor that humans who could control magic existed, but so many monsters had waved it off as impossible.  And if he couldn’t find a way out quickly he would never be able to warn them.

 

The assault came downward and Grillby only barely managed to get under an outcrop, the rainfall harsh and brutal.  His boots were enough to protect his feet, but the occasional droplets that did reach him stung against his skin, sizzling and steam followed each one.  Grillby tried to think through his options on how he could escape this trap, but was finding none that would keep him alive.  Even his best options left to him dying in the forests as he ran.

 

The sensation of magic in the air was felt, and looking over he found his situation far worse than he had believed.  The water had coiled upward into a snake like form and once it had a stable form, dashed toward him.  He jumped out of the way of the strike, the form colliding with the wall he had been standing against sending shards of wood flying away.  Grillby hissed as the water began to assault him, turning patches of his skin to coal, but quickly making his way to cover.  He was only able to pause for a moment as the snake attacked again.  Grillby brought out his sword, flames licking up the edges, and swung upward.

 

The form was separated into two, steam wafting upward from the cut, writhing against the dirt.  He only gave out half a breath before it had reformed and hissed toward him.  He knew he was out of options, whoever his opponent was, had been far more prepared than him.  He sheathed his blade and waited for the next strike, the form swaying side to side as it watched him.

 

It darted forward and Grillby quickly jumped to the side, and didn’t stop.  He forced himself through the pain that hit him as he ran toward the tree line.  He screamed as pain cut through his right arm and abdomen, the water form passing through him and coiling before him.  He waved his uninjured arm toward the creature and willed fire to consume it, quickly turning it to smoke and steam.  He didn’t allow himself to slow as he understood that it would reform once again to finish what it had started.

 

Breaking through the tree line he kept his gaze forward and his mind on the task of survival.  He barely registered as branches would strike or snap around him and against his armor.  His feet soon slowed and his mind began to haze and without warning his body began to give up on him.  He managed to stumble over a few more steps before tripping and falling to the ground, only the smallest sound of discomfort left him as his consciousness soon followed.


	3. Scars of War

You knew your face had been cut several times as branches had collided with it, but you only noticed because of the pain your tears caused when they passed over the openings in your skin.  After some time you eventually stumbled and fell to the ground, you didn’t lift yourself, not having the will.  Forcing your sobs down you used your wrist to brush away your tears and looked around to see where you were.  Only trees and bushes met you, and you could tell from the light that the sun was beginning to set.

 

Slowly you stood on your shaky legs, using a tree to keep yourself upright.  You barely thought of the direction you went, just focused on placing one foot in front of the other creating a rhythm.  The events of the day repeated endlessly in your head, most of them making you sick.  The images of the monsters Chara had killed had been seared into your memory and you felt as though they were still watching and judging you.

 

You were startled from your thoughts as you saw dim light not far from you in the trees, and your curiosity pulled you toward its source.  As you approached you noticed it looked like fire light, so you thought it might be survivors of one of the attacks or a scouting party.  You stifled a scream at the armored form below you.

 

You knew exactly who it was.  Hellfire.  And yet he was unconscious in the dirt, it seemed that attack had done a number on him.  You felt so guilty.  He may have killed people, but something in you told you it was nothing like the death you had seen today.  He was face down in the dirt and the light he produced was dim and cold.  You slowly rolled him over to try and get a better look at the monster.  His face and neck had splotches of black and when you touched them they felt like burnt wood or coal.

 

An idea hit you, you could heal him.  A part of you immediately scolded you for thinking of healing someone who was an enemy.  Someone who would kill you if he knew how close you were to him.  You didn’t care, you were done with death for the day, and if you could do something about it, you would.

 

You didn’t want to take the chance of someone finding you or him while you were tending to him so you pulled out the powdery chalk you carried around.  Carefully you created a circle about 15 meters across around the man of fire, occasionally pausing to add small inscriptions in the dirt along the edge.  When you completed the circle you knelt along the inner side and placed your hands on the dirt willing a protective barrier along the chalk.  A whispy light of silver wafted upward from the chalk and as you looked out the world outside the circle had a glassy appearance of shining white and silver.

 

You smiled to yourself at your efficiency, but quickly turned back to the fire-kin.  It was clear that the worst of the damage was under the armor, so it would have to be removed.  You started with the cloak, which was damp, and you understood that Driti and Salamat had cast a ‘goddess of the sky’ spell.  You suspected they did far more, but you never studied with them so it was only guess work on your part.

 

You slowly unclasped the chestplate, but quickly found yourself having difficulty.  His armor really was darksteel, which was far heavier than you had imagined.  You leaned back again and took a deep breath before lifting a hand.  Silverish light wafted upward and toward the armor, and with only the slightest movement from your hand it lifted and was moved away.  You slowly set it down and the gray and silver slowly settled on the remainder of the armor over his arms and torso.

 

You gasped at the sight as you finished removing the metal.  Almost his entire right abdomen and ribs were black, his right arm in similar condition.  You were a bit unsure how to process the sight, but at least now you understood how water affected a fire elemental.  It really was a reverse of what fire did to humans.

 

You carefully set your hands down over the damaged area and willed your energy forward, willed the damage to be undone.  You felt strained as the effort grew, closing your eyes as you focused your mind on the task.  Heal him, that’s all you had to do, and you were not going to fail, no matter the difficulty.  Time became lost on you, though a weariness was creeping over the back or your mind.  You pushed it away.

 

A sudden grip on your hand jolted you and your eyes flew open.  You saw a flaming hand grasping your wrist and the fire-kin was looking at you, confusion and wariness written on his expression.

 

He spoke up first, “Who are you?  And why are you on fire?”

 

You panicked and reached a hand to your head finding wisping edges of flames touching your fingers.  You pull your hands over your head several times willing your mind and soul to dissipate the flames.  You looked over at the man once more, who had only a flash of concern on his face before his eyes returned to their hardened distrust.

 

You finally found your voice, “It’s nothing.”

 

He moved to sit up, but quickly grunted and scowled at the pain.  You pressed a hand to his shoulder, “Rest, your still not healed.”

 

He held your gaze, his voice low, “You still haven’t answered who you are.”

 

You leaned back again giving him the space he clearly wished for, “Sorry, I’m _____.”

 

He nodded, “I’m Grillby.”  He paused as he closed his eyes, finally relaxing into the dirt again, “You’re human, so why are you helping me?”  Before you could answer he looked back at you, “Or are you trying to capture me?”

 

You shook your head, “No, I’m trying to help.”  You try to think of the right words for the situation, but you felt that honesty was going to be your only hope, “I found you here and felt I should heal you.”

 

He tilted his head at you, “You are a human mage?”

 

You felt your face heat a bit, you were far out of your element, ever since you had been taken to the Citadel you had almost no contact with anyone outside of the guild.  You took a breath to steady yourself, “Yes, but how do you know of human mages?”

 

He looked you over for a moment, assessing if you could be trusted at all or if you were just a false hope.  He deemed the former more likely, “A rumor floating around the kingdom, no one believed it, not even me.”  He turned away, “At least not before today.”

 

You turned your head down, guilt was filling your mind, “I’m sorry.”

 

He gave a soft chuckle, “You did save me, even though I am your enemy.  If we had met under any other circumstances, one of us would likely be dead by now.”

 

You felt a shiver travel down your spine from his words.  You knew he was right, but what he didn’t know is that he easily would have been the victor in that battle, “I’m still sorry for all of this.”

 

He waved a hand to dismiss your words, “That’s just war, no real use for apologies.  One side will win, one will lose and many will die.”

 

You moved over again to finish healing him, but he quickly grabbed you hand again, “You can leave now, I will recover.”

 

You shook your head at him, “No, I will finish what I started, it will only take another moment.”

 

He seemed to relent at your words and released you, “There is one other thing I wish to ask you.”

 

You paused and glanced over at him, “Sure, what is it?”

 

He pointed toward your head, “Those silver flames, what were those.”

 

You turned away quickly closing your eyes, a hand grabbed your own.  Looking back he didn’t try to hide the concern in his expression this time.

 

You sighed, “My magic, it’s, well.”  You paused, it was always so hard to explain, “I have a lot of magic, enough that it sometimes overflows and creates a physical manifestation.  Sometimes I lose control too.”  Dark memories threatened to rise from the back of your mind, but you were quick to force them away.

 

“In what way do you mean ‘lose control’.”  He sounded patient and sincere.

 

You took a shaky breath to steady yourself, “Before I knew I had magic, or I joined the mages guild, I lived in a small town in the north.  I had been having a nightmare and didn’t wake until I heard screaming.  When I looked around my home had been consumed by flames….silver flames.”  You felt a tear flow down your cheek from the memory, “The screams were my mother.  Before I knew what had happened the house collapsed, but not a single thing struck me.  Eventually, the flames died down, and I met the Guildmaster, who explained what I was and I had been learning magic ever since.”

 

He had stayed quiet throughout your story, but found his voice as he looked away, “Your family didn’t make it then?”

 

You shook your head and a sob hit you.  You could hear Chara calling you pathetic for looking so vulnerable and weak before an enemy.

 

“I’m terribly sorry such a thing happened.”  You whipped your head upward to look at him.  He forced himself upright, a small smile on his lips as he pulled you into his embrace, “I understand, magic can overpower even the best, especially when you have no idea it exists.”

 

You had frozen in th e grasp, it was warm and comfortable, but the other half of you screamed of danger.  You lightly pushed him back, “Why...why are you being so nice to me?  You said it yourself that under different circumstances we would be fighting.”

 

He slowly eased himself back to the ground, resting his head back and closing his eyes, “But it is not different circumstances, and you seem like a good person.”

 

You slammed your fist to the dirt, “But I am an enemy soldier.”

 

He opened only one eye to glance at you, “And I am an enemy general.  Why bother arguing this when you clearly do not wish to be enemies?”

 

You pulled away again, he clearly was very observant, or you were being very obvious, but he would not take advantage of your goodwill it seemed.

 

The silence was heavy in the air, you cleared your throat, “Would you mind if I finished healing you then?”

 

He gently shook his head and you placed your hands back down on his chest, working slower this time as to be aware of your personal state.  The dark spots receded and the light he gave off gradually brightened.  You breathed a sigh of relief and pulled your hands back to see he was well and unharmed once more.

 

He stood and twisted his body, flexing his formerly injured arm to check it’s state.  He was far stronger looking than you realized from the ground, and easily taller than you.

 

He turned back toward you with a smile, “Thank you, really.  Those wounds were easily fatal, and yet I am standing good and well again.”

 

You went to smile as well, but it quickly faltered at his words.  Fatal wounds.  You should have understood to begin with, but only now did it really hit you.  You had saved the person who was meant to die by your allies.  If the Master found out you would be in huge trouble.

 

If Chara found out you would be dead.

 

You didn’t realize you had began to tremble until hands took your own.  A concerned fiery face looking down at you.

 

“I-I’m fine really.”  You never stuttered, but the idea of Chara coming for your head was to much.

 

He grabbed your shoulders, “_____.”  You looked at him, his gaze unwavering, “I’ll make sure no one finds out about this encounter.  I just have to lie low for a short time and it will appear that my allies were able to save me.”  You didn’t feel eased at all by his words, he took your chin in one of his hands, grasp gentle, “You just can’t speak of this encounter.  You’re the one who will be in danger if your allies know of this, so just don’t let it become known.”

 

You gave a small nod and he released you taking a step back.  He moved over to the armor and lifted the chestplate.  He made it look effortless.

 

You jumped forward as even if he could lift it, it would prove a trying task to strap it back on alone, “Let me help, I might as well finish what I started.”

 

You willed the pieces of armor upwards and into their respective places, carefully tightening straps and clasping latches until it was a solid piece again.  You stood back and couldn’t help the smile that played on your lips.

 

Grillby spoke up, his tone respectful and kind, “It was a pleasure to meet you, _____.  May you stay safe in your travels.”  He gave a bow before turning and disappearing into the brush.  You wanted to respond, but were too lost for words at the gesture.

 

You felt your smile grow as you walked toward where the rendezvous was, feeling light as a feather, not just from the magic use, but from the gentlemanly fire-kin.


End file.
